Twilight: The TJL Story
by originalityissooverrated
Summary: Tanya Denali, Jessica Stanely and Lauren Malroy are sick and tired of being portrayed as the "whores" of fanfiction. So they have decided to step-up, and write their own story, wherein they aren't depicted as the "bad guys."
1. TJL: Prologue

**Twilight - The TJL Story**

**Prologue**

"Once upon a time, in the tiny, rainy town of Forks, Washington, lived a boy named Edward and a girl named..."

"Tanya, stop! Please can we not make this another one of those lovey-dovey, 'Edward-for-Bella' type stories?"

"Then what do you suggest, Lauren?"

"How about we pair Edward with another certain brunette? Hint, hint."

"NO JESS!"

"How about we write a story about us. We're always portrayed as the bad guys, the bitches, the skanks. Why not try and write something different."

"Great idea, Lauren. "

"I still think we should an 'Edward-for-Jessica' story..."

"For the last time, Jess, the guy rejected you how many times?"

"But he's HOT! You think so too, Lauren, don't deny it. Those piercing green eyes, wild bronze sex-hair..."

"...Bitchy, loser girlfriend..."

"Bella's not too bad."

"Okay, ladies, moving on. What should our story be about?"

"Vampires?"

"Too cliché."

"Werewolves?"

"Eww, they'll malt and drool all over the place."

"Well, what do you suggest then, Lauren?"

"Well, Tan, how about we write a all-human story. No monsters, to emo girls who over-react when their boyfriends dump them, and definitely NO SPARKLING GAY VAMPIRES!"

"How about a story about three best friends? 'The Turmoils of Being Teenager!'"

"Or a story about Edward dumping Bella (again) and dating me?"

*Collective eye roll directed at Jessica*

"Anyway..."

"Save this story to your allerts and/or favourites so you know when we update!"

"And don't forget to review! We'd love to hear from you guys"

"We also should mention that all things Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer... You know, due to copyright laws and the like."

"But this fic belongs to PatchsFallenAngel... She's so pretty..."

"Okay, that's enough Jess. Hope to hear from you guys soon!"

_xxTanya, Jessica and Lauren (:_


	2. TJL: Chapter One

**Twilight – The TJL Story**

**Chapter One**

"So, uh, Tanya..."

"What do you want, Jacob? You approach me every day, and every day you merely stutter and stare at me like I'm a dog on show. What do you want?" exclaimed Tanya Denali, slamming her locker shut and flipping her long strawberry blonde hair over her shoulder.

She didn't mean to yell at him, but she was having a shitty day. First she was late for her first period class (thanks to the tedious trio: Rosalie Hale, Isabella Swan and Alice Brandon), failed to complete her history homework and managed to get a detention for skipping a whole class thanks to the aforementioned trio locking her in the girls bathroom.

Tanya had liked Jacob for some time now, but he always seemed kind of stand-offish and shy. Did he like her, didn't he? Boy, were the male species annoyingly confusing!

Jacob Black was a senior at Forks High School, like Tanya. He was a native Indian boy with gorgeous russet-toned skin and dark eyes that sparkled when he laughed. Being of native descent, he could have gone to school on the nearby reservation, but his father, Billy, had decided to enrol him into the Forks education system, as it was where his late mother, Sarah, had been taught.

He was cute with boyish features, yet had a masculine stature. He was taller than Tanya, who was always picked on for being one of the loftiest girls all through her schooling years. She rarely wore heels, because there was no use for them and they were too difficult to walk in with her height.

"Willyougotothedancewithme?" Jacob said at such a rapid speed that Tanya didn't understand a word he had recited. Asking him to repeat what he had said, Jacob spoke slowly, "Will you go to the dance with me?"

Both shocked and pleased, Tanya nodded in the affirmative repeatedly. She wasn't used to being asked out by a boy. Jacob smiled widely, his bright white teeth contrasting beautifully with his warm, tanned skin.

"I'll, umm, pick you up at, uh, seven?" Jacob stammered, turning back into his introverted self. He still wasn't sure whether this was a dream or not.

Never in a thousand years did he think that the gorgeous Tanya Denali would agree to go out with him. He looked around the halls of Forks High School, expected Austin Kutcher to jump out at him and yell "Punk'd!"

Jacob Black had had a crush on Tanya since first laying eyes her in elementary school. Tanya's family had just moved down from Alaska, so they were accustomed to the rain and cold climate that was forever present. Her two older sisters, Kate and Irina, were already in middle school by the time Tanya started school. She was so small and fragile; Jacob was instantly smitten.

He remembered, vividly, the first time he ever spoke to her. It wasn't until the second grade, and Tanya had made Emmett McCarty a Valentine's Day card. Emmett was a large boy who was a ladies' man, even at the age of eight. He had dark, curly hair, slight sun-kissed skin from growing up in South California and he completely hated Jacob for no apparent reason, always ganging up on him along with his best friend, Edward Cullen.

Jacob's jealousy toward Emmett receiving Tanya's love letter, immediately turned to anger as he watched Emmett rip Tanya's card, resulting in running out of the classroom in hysterics. Being the little gentleman that he was, Jacob ran after her with the card he had made for her. It wasn't as pretty as Tanya's heart-shaped card to McCarty, but he hoped she liked, or at least pretended to for his sake.

The card itself was pink with a blue, frilly pattern bordering it; Jacob had also drawn little hearts surrounding Tanya's name. Tanya started crying even more. Jacob thought that she didn't like it, but Tanya soon corrected him, saying that it was "the sweetest thing anyone had ever done" for her. She kissed Jacob on the cheek, causing his face to turn pink in embarrassment.

Taking her hand in his, Jacob led her back to the classroom.

"Sure, seven sounds great," smiled Tanya, pulling Jacob out of his reverie.

Jacob's smile grew, so much that his cheeks began to ache. "Cool, umm, see you then!" he waved, turning to go to his next class. Tanya waved back, grinning almost as much as Jacob as she made her way to Calculus.

* * *

"So, uh, are you going to the dance tonight?" Lauren Mallory asked Jasper Whitlock as she pulled up her panties and straightened her skirt.

Jasper looked at Lauren with his head cocked to the side. "Yeah, why?"

Lauren sashayed her way over to Jasper and whispered seductively. "Why don't we go together?" she asked, running her nails down Jasper's bare chest. He was quite muscular for a teenage boy, thanks to his dad sending him to Military School in Texas when he was younger. He was only a few weeks into his sophomore year when he was expelled, so his father sent him to live here, in Forks, with his Aunt Maria and cousin, Rosalie Hale. The culture shock was a big problem for Jasper in his first year, but he soon became best friends with Emmett McCarty and Edward Cullen, and even started dating Alice Brandon must to Lauren's dismay.

"Sorry, I'm going with Alice," Jasper explained, not sounding sorry at all.

"Babe, I thought you said you were breaking up with her so that we could be together. You said that you loved me!" Lauren exclaimed, forgetting that they were in fact at school, inside an uninhabited classroom where anyone could walk in.

"And I do love you, baby girl," Jasper breathed lightly, kissing Lauren's neck, making her moan. Then he abruptly snapped back, buttoning up his shirt and doing up the fly on his pants. "But, Alice is going through some stuff right now, I can't just leave her. She needs me."

Stepping back from her lover, Lauren yelled, "I need you!"

Jasper stepped toward her, shushing her so they wouldn't get caught. "Soon, baby, I promise." Kissing the top her head, Jasper walked out of the classroom to his next class, not giving Lauren a second glance. Lauren took her seat, hoping that Tanya and Jessica would hurry up and not be tardy for Calculus.

* * *

Jessica Stanley sat in the cafeteria with her friend Angela Webber. Tanya had just left the table to retrieve her Calculus book from her locker. Angela provided this week's gossip and Jessica pretended to listen while staring dreamily at Edward Cullen, completely ignoring the fact that his girlfriend, Isabella Swan, was sitting on his lap. Jess mentally replaced Bella's short, curved figure with her own tall, slender physique.

She imagined him kissing her, not that slag. Slowly at first, then harder and more passionate. He would tangle his long piano-playing fingers in her lush, brown hair. Jess could picture his emerald-green orbs piercing into her mocha-coloured eyes as he called her 'beautiful' and professed his love. The slight stubble growing on his chiselled, angular jaw line would rub against her face as he kissed her with so much enthusiasm as she moaned his name. He would say her name with as much love and passion as he could muster, "Jessica...Jessica..."

"Jessica!" Angela pulled her friend out of her day-dream.

Jess scowled at her friend, who had moved from the seat beside her, to being perched on her boyfriend, Ben Cheney's, lap. His companion, Mike Newton, gave Jessica a goofy smile. Turning her attention back to her friend, Jessica asked Angela what she wanted.

"Sorry to pull you from your Edward Cullen Lust-a-thon," smirked Angela sarcastically. Jessica blushed at her bluntness. "But Mike wanted to talk to you and you were completely ignoring him."

Jessica sent Mike a sorry expression. He smiled in return. Jessica had always though Mike to be pretty cute, but he didn't hold a candle to Edward. They were polar opposites. Mike had short blonde hair, which he messed up to resemble Edward's I-just-had-sex hair, light blue eyes and was short in stature compared to other boys his age.

"I know that this short notice, Jessica," Mike began, "But I was wondering whether you were going to the dance tonight."

Telling Mike that she was in fact not going, Jessica couldn't help but glance over at Edward. "The guy whom I want to take me is going with someone else," she added.

"Yeah, his girlfriend," Ben muttered to Angela. Jessica turned to glare from Bella, who was currently dry-humping Edward in the middle of the cafeteria, to her friend's boyfriend. Angela bit back the giggle that was threatening to escape and instead pretended to chastise Ben.

"Please go with me, Jess," Mike begged, fidgeting as he awaited Jessica's answer. "I'll take you to dinner beforehand. We'll have great fun."

"Thanks, but I think I might have a night in. I don't think Tanya or Lauren have dates either, so we can sit around, eating ice-cream and crying about our non-existent love life," Jess joked, though she was sure that was exactly what her night would entail.

Mike's hopeful smile turning into a heartbroken frown, one he quickly hid from the beautiful girl in front of him. "Oh, okay then. Umm, maybe next time?" He stated the last sentence as a question. Though, he was beginning to lose faith in ever getting Jessica to agree to date him. Every time he asked, she would shoot him down. He knew that she silently wished that it was Edward asking her out, but he wouldn't give up. One day, she'd realise how arrogant Edward Cullen was and how Mike was the right guy for her.

One day.

* * *

"Guess who asked me to the dance tonight?" squealed Tanya as she walked home with her two best friends. The girls lived next door to each other and considered one another family.

Lauren and Jessica moved closer to their friend, wanting to know the latest news.

"Jacob!" Tanya squeaked, as did the other two girls. Though they didn't have dates, they were happy for their best friend.

"Wait!" Tanya exclaimed, stopping just a block away from her house. "I can't go."

"Why the hell not?" Lauren and Jessica asked in unison.

"Well, I can't just leave you at home while I go out with Jacob."

Lauren pulled her friend into a hug, effectively calming her. "Listen to me, you are going to go to that dance tonight, you are going to have a great time, and then you are going to come over to my house where you will proceed to tell Jess and I all the gory details."

"We'll even help you get ready!" Jessica added, clapping her hands and bouncing up and down happily.

Tanya smiled fondly at the two wonderful girls in front of her, pulling them into a long embrace. "I love you girls," she cried. "You two are the best friends any girl could ask for."

"We won't be great if we cause you to be late for your date," Jessica said as it began to rain. The girls ran inside to get Tanya ready for the dance.


	3. TJL: Chapter Two

**Twilight - The TJL Story**

**Chapter Two**

"I bought this a few weeks ago in hope that Jasper might ask me to the dance tonight, but seeing a though he didn't," Lauren scowled for a second before smiling again, "I want you to wear it."

The dress that Lauren had bought was a strapless LBD that went down to Tanya's knees. It was simple, sexy and sophisticated.

The bust had one of those built-in bras, which happened to make Tanya's breasts seem larger. She smiled knowingly at her friend, as they both suffered in the chest department and refused to get plastic surgery like Rosalie Hale. There was lace detail lining the top and bottom of the dress. A satin ribbon adorned the section of her waist below her bust, also helping to enhance her cleavage.

Lauren had bought a gorgeous pair of heels to go with the dress, as she was shorter than her two best friends. Tanya hated heels and saw no point in enhancing her already giant stature, so Jessica decorated a pair of plain black ballet flats with those fake diamonds you can buy at the craft store. Both Lauren and Jess allowed Tanya to borrow some of their accessories.

Tanya, being a natural beauty, didn't need make-up, but Jessica applies some eyeliner and mascara to draw attention to her stunning violet eyes. Tanya smeared strawberry-flavoured gloss on her lips, effectively giving her a sexy pout.

"Jacob will be itching to kiss those lips, Tan," Lauren winked.

"And I thought Hayley Williams was hot! Want to ditch Jake and take me instead," Jess joked, causing Tanya to laugh and feel less nervous about her date.

"Now what can we do with your hair?" Lauren thought out loud.

"Keep it down?" Tanya asked, hopefully. She thought that she had endured enough torture for one night.

"I think hair up," Jessica replied to Lauren, the two girls ignoring Tanya's refusal.

Two hours and half a can of hairspray later, Tanya's outfit was complete. Her hair was pinned up in loose bun with strands of hair framing her face. Lauren led her over to the mirror while Jess held her hands over Tanya's eyes so that she couldn't sneak a peek.

"Ta-da!" Lauren and Jess sang in unison.

Tanya was speechless. "I look..."

"Gorgeous," Lauren finished.

"Beautiful."

"Sexy."

"I'd tap that!"

Everyone laughed at Jessica's outburst.

Tanya could feel the tears well up in her eyes, causing her vision to blur.

"Don't you dare cry!" Jess scolded. "I spent an hour on your make-up, you'll ruin it if you cry."

Unable to find words to express her gratitude, Tanya pulled her two closest friends in for a hug.

"You're awfully affectionate today," Lauren noted.

"I just love you guys so much!" Tanya cried. "Thank you! Thank you!"

* * *

Jacob Black pulled up in front of the Tanya's house (she had given a slip of paper with her address on it after school let out). Gathering up all of the courage he could, Jacob stepped out of his car, his father's old Volkswagen rabbit, and walked up to Tanya's front door. Before he could even muster the courage to knock, a thin man with spectacles and greying hair answered the door.

Jacob took him to be Tanya's father, and held out a hand for him to shake. That was, after all, the polite thing to do.

Mr. Denali merely looked at Jacobs hand and ushered him inside.

"Now boy..."

"Jacob."

"Excuse me?"

"Umm, Jacob. My name is Jacob."

"I don't give a damn who you are, boy, I just want to bring my baby girl home in one piece."

"Yes, sir."

Mr. Denali eyed Jacob suspiciously. "The only reason I'm allowing Tanya to go out with you is because she told me that you were a good, honest boy. Nothing else. I don't trust these boys in this here town."

"I promise you, sir, I'm not like other boys in this town."

"You are seventeen, are you not?"

"Uh, yes sir."

"When I was seventeen I was dating several different girls at the same time. And I mean proper dating, not a romp in the backseat of your car."

"I would never disrespect Tanya in that way, sir. I really like your daughter and-"

"Too right you won't. I don't want Tanya, or those two other girls upstairs, to be corrupted by the boys in this town. She is going places, going to make a name for herself. All three of them are. I love all of those girls like they're my own."

"Now, now, you're not frightening my date, are you?"

"Of course not-" Mr. Denali stopped mid-sentence "Whoa, Tan, you look beautiful.''

"Thank you," she blushed, kissing her father on the cheek, and slipping her arm through Jacob's.

''Your mother told me to tell you that curfew was 12 o'clock, but I want you back here no later than 11, got it?"

''Yes, sir,'' she giggled

Jacobs hands gripped the steering wheel of his car, as he drove to the dance, so hard that his knuckles where turning white. When Jacob put his hand on the gear-shift, Tanya put her hand over his. "Are you okay?" she asked, beginning to think that Jacob was regretting asking her to the dance.

"Yeah, fine," he replied.

"Is this about Caius?" she asked.

"Caius?"

"Yeah, Lauren's dad. The guy who gave you a tough time back there."

_That was Lauren's dad?_ Jacob though.

"He can be a bit over-protective of me. He was close friends to my father, and when he passed away..."

"I-I'm sorry," Jacob stammered.

"It's okay," Tanya smiled sadly, I don't remember him much. He died when I was three. Mom took it really hard. That's why we moved down here."

Jacob glanced at Tanya in his peripheral vision. The look in Tanya's eyes broke Jacob's heart. She looked like he did when his mother passed a few years previous. Though Jacob remembered his mother like he saw her yesterday, unlike Tanya who had a few vague memories of her dad. He could still smell her perfume whenever he walked into his house. He pictured her baking cookies for the annual fundraiser down at the church.

Tanya looked over at Jacob and smiled sadly, as if she knew what he was thinking about. He was glad that he finally got the courage to ask her out after all these years. He was even more ecstatic, albeit a little shocked, that she said yes.


	4. TJL: Chapter Three

**Twilight - The TJL Story**

**Chapter Three**

_Why didn't I get the courage to ask her out earlier?_ Jacob thought to himself as he held Tanya on the dance floor.

He and Tanya had been dancing for what seemed like hours. Next to them, Jasper Whitlock was dirty dancing with his girlfriend, Alice Brandon.

Tanya shook her head at him in disgust. While she didn't agree with Lauren sleeping with a guy in a relationship, she made sure to let Lauren know that she was there if (and when) she needed a shoulder to cry on. Because Jasper had "Heartbreaker" written all over him.

When the song changed, Tanya turned her attention from Jasper and Alice. She smiled at Jacob and rested her head on his shoulder as they swayed to slow beat of the song. Across the room, Tanya saw Mike Newton sitting by himself in a dark corner, trying to disappear from everyone's view. Tanya felt a pang of sadness in her chest as she gazed at the lonely blonde boy. Since they were children, he had been infatuated with Jessica, but she had never given him the time of day. She hoped that he'd find happiness. He deserved it.

Once again, the song changed, this time into a more upbeat tune. Tanya retracted herself from Jacob's arms. When he let her go, she stumbled. Her whole world spun and she felt as if she was about to faint.

"I think I need some fresh air," she said, smiling up at her date.

Jacob looked at Tanya. worry coating his features. "Would you like me to come outside with you?"

Tanya shook her head. She wanted to call Lauren and Jessica to see how they were doing without her. Also, she still felt guilty that she was out with Jacob while they were probably at home eating ice-cream and watching chick-flicks.

"Could you get me some water?" Tanya asked Jacob with a smile. "I'm probably just dehydrated."

Jacob nodded, watching as Tanya walked outside.

When he turned to get Tanya a bottle of water, Emmett McCarthy snuck outside. He'd been waiting all night for a chance to get Tanya Denali alone.

"Tanya!" a voice called out from behind her.

Tanya stood still, confused upon hearing a voice call out after her. What suprised her more was that the voice sounded like it belonged to Emmett McCarthy. But why would he be running outside after her? Tanya shook her head. She was probably hearing things.

"Tanya!" the voice called again. This time, Tanya turned to see that it was indeed Emmett McCarthy. She shot him a puzzled look.

"Hey," he smiled. Tanya compelled herself not to swoon at the sight of his too-cute dimples.

"Hi," Tanya said warily. "Is there anything you needed?"

"Yeah, uh," Emmett stammered. Tanya was shocked. Emmett McCarthy never stammered. He was also confident and boisterous. "Did you need some company?"

"No," Tanya replied. "My date will be out here in a minute. He's just getting me something to drink."

"So we're alone?" Emmett asked, smiling. "Good."

Tanya raised her eyebrows. "Good?"

Emmett drew closer. "Yeah," he replied. "I wanted to tell you something."

He drew closer still. Tanya's heart began to beat erratically. She had never been this close to Emmett ever. She was beginning to feel drunk off his presence.

"Tell me what?" she asked.

"I like you, Tanya," he said easily. "I've held these feelings in for so long. But you just look so beautiful tonight…"

Emmett was standing toe-to-toe with Tanya by now. Tanya was backed up against a wall. She was trapped. Emmett eyed Tanya's lips hungrily and began to lower his head.

"What about Rosalie?" Tanya asked breathlessly when there was barely an inch separating her from Emmett. She hadn't given Emmett McCarthy the time of day after his humiliating dismissal of her in elementary school. However, that didn't mean she wasn't still attracted to him. Who wasn't! His bulging muscles, soft curling hair that you just wanted to run your fingers through...

"Rosalie doesn't hold a candle to you," he said as he dipped his head low, capturing Tanya's lips with his own.

Emmett's lips felt soft against Tanya's. She lifted her arms and wrapped them around Emmett's neck, getting caught up in the moment.

Suddenly, a vision of Jacob entered Tanya's. Her eyes snapped open and she suddenly felt ill. Pushing Emmett away, Tanya ran inside to find Jacob.

* * *

After an hour of searching, Tanya gave up. Where was he? Surely he hadn't just left her here.

Rosalie Hale saw Tanya Denali sit down near the refreshment table with a worried expression on her face.

"I'm just going to get a drink," she told Bella and Alice, grinning mischievously.

"Oh, no," Rosalie taunted Tanya under the guise of scooping punch into her half-empty cup. "Did lover-boy ditch your sorry ass?"

"I'm not in the mood for your bullshit, Rosalie."

"Emmett doesn't like you, you know," Rosalie laughed. "We were just toying with you."

Tanya shot Rosalie a disgusted look, though she wasn't surprised. Rosalie and her friends had made Tanya's life miserable since she had arrived in forks.

"I don't care, Rosalie," Tanya said, tired of the blonde's bullying antics. "I just want to find Jacob and go home."

"Oh, don't you know?" Rosalie grinned wickedly. "Jacob left an hour ago after seeing you kiss my boyfriend."

Tanya paled, causing Rosalie to laugh at her. With that, Rosalie turned her back on her nemesis and sashayed her way back to where Alice and Bella sat. When Rosalie arrived back at her friends table, Emmett McCarthy sat down beside her. He leaned in as if to give her a kiss, but she stopped him.

"Don't kiss me until you've rinsed your mouth out with bleach," she said bitchily.

Emmett's eyes glazed over. _She's so hot when she's being a bitch,_ he thought.

* * *

Tanya returned to Lauren's house at half past ten that night, after catching a ride with Angela and Ben, with mascara running down her cheeks and her nose all red and puffy. She was glad Caius was asleep because she knew that he'd be out the door with a shotgun, on his way to Jacob's house, if he saw the state she was in.

She dragged her tired body up the Mallory's staircase. Once at the top, she opened Lauren's door to see her two best friends in Lauren's bed eating ice-cream and watching a movie, just like she had anticipated.

Lauren and Jessica heard the bedroom door open. They turned their attention away from Lauren's television to ask Tanya how the dance was. They'd been waiting anxiously all night to hear all the details about Jacob. However, at seeing their friend in hysterics, their smiles disappeared.

Tanya just shook her head and pointed to the ice-cream. She needed something sugary and full of calories to take her mind off the night that had transpired.


	5. TJL: Chapter Four

**Twilight - The TJL Story**

**Chapter Four**

"Jacob!" Tanya called out. Her loudness caused everyone in the corridor to look at her. Thankfully, there was only a small group of freshmen. She had tried calling Jacob all weekend but he didn't answer. Not that she blamed him. She was determined to talk to Jacob, to tell him that she wanted him, not Emmett McCarthy.

Upon hearing his name, Jacob turned sharply to glare at Tanya. "What do you want?" he spat. Tanya was taken aback by the venom that laced his words. "Here to tell me how great of a kisser McCarthy is?"

"I'm here to apologise," she said. "It meant nothing. I was just caught up in the moment."

Jacob eyes Tanya carefully. "How do I know that you're here for that reason and not because McCarthy and his bitch of a girlfriend played a prank on you?"

Tanya gasped. "How do you know about that?"

Jacob laughed without humour. "They've been telling everyone about how gullible you are."

Tears sprung in Tanya's eyes. Not only had she messed things up with Jacob, but now she was the laughing stock of the whole school?

"Can you honestly look me in the eyes and tell me that you have no feelings for McCarthy?" Jacob asked Tanya.

Tanya placed her palm gently on Jacob's cheek. "The only feeling I hold toward Emmett McCarthy is hatred. He and all his friends can go fuck themselves."

Jacob regarded Tanya intently, not being able to tell whether or not what she was saying was truth. "I've spent my entire life playing second-string to that douchebag," Jacob said angrily. "I can't be your second choice, Tanya."

"You're not!" She cried. "I was just caught up in the moment. It won't happen again. Please, Jacob. Give me another chance."

Jacob shook his sadly. "I don't know if I can." With that, he walked away.

Tanya was sure her broken heart was evident on her face. She turned around only to see Rosalie Hale and Emmett McCarthy and swore that they weren't going to bully her any longer.

She was going to win Jacob's affections back. And she wasn't going to let a group of bullies stop her any longer.

* * *

Lauren Mallory held the long plastic stick in front of her face. She saw the double lines before her eyes grew blurry with tears. Double lines meant positive. Double lines meant her life was over.

Lauren sat on the closed toilet seat in the girls bathroom, cold, alone and fragile. She put the stick back in the box and stuffed it into her bag. She went to stand up and go to her next class when she heard the door open.

"Jasper has been so understanding," Alice Brandon's voice echoed. "He gets why I want to wait until marriage. My faith is very important to me. He's willing to wait as well."

Bella Swan regarded her friend with a ''are-you-for-real'' glance. She suspected that Jasper was cheating on Alice, but she'd never voice her suspicions. Not that Alice would believe her anyway.

"And see what he bought me?" Alice gloated, waving a gold ring in Bella's face. "It's a promise ring! Isn't he just the perfect boyfriend?"

Bella eyed the ring. "When did he give it to you?"

"Friday night, at the dance," Alice squealed.

Just then, the bell sounded. Alice groaned. "Time for Biology. I don't even know why I chose that class. I mean they talk about this "Big Bang" thing and how it created the universe. Everybody knows that God…"

As the door closed behind Alice and Bella, Lauren vomited her lunch into the toilet.

* * *

_Edward Cullen is so smart,_ Jessica Stanley thought as she sat behind him in English.

"Does anyone disagree with Mr. Cullen? Mr Berty asked the class.

No one did of course. They all knew that Edward was the smartest person in the school.

"I do," Mike newton voiced from behind Jessica.

Mr Berty looked excited. Usually only Edward answered the questions he posed. "Stand up, Mr. Newton. What do you think about the 'Eclipse' love affair?"

Mike cleared his throat before answering. "I think that the protagonist is blinded by lust. She wanted the vampire because he was attractive. I'm sure she loved him, like all teenage girls love their first boyfriend. But like the werewolf said, if vampires weren't around, she'd be with him. They were true soul mates, even if he didn't 'imprint' on her. And at the end, when she kisses him, she envisions a whole life with him. She doesn't have that connection with the vampire. He can't even have kids! She wants the werewolf, she just doesn't want to admit it."

Mike stared directly at Jessica as he delivered the last part of his speech. As he sat down, Jessica thought about what he said. Whenever she thought of the vampire in Eclipse, she saw Edward's face in her mind. Did she only want him because she was attracted to him? Well, she didn't know much about him. Sure, she knew that he was smart and good at sports. But she didn't know anything about him as a person. What was his favourite colour? What flavoured ice-cream did he like?

Jessica looked over her shoulder at Mike. He was scribbling down notes furiously. Jessica smiled before turning her attention back to Mr. Berty, neatly writing down her class notes as well.

The bell sounded just as Jessica wrote the last word Mr. Berty had written down. She planned on catching up with Mike as they exited the class, but those thoughts were soon demolished when she heard the squeaky, high-pitched voice of Alice Brandon.

"What a whore," Alice laughed. "Pregnant at 17! I bet you don't even know who the father is." Everyone laughed along with Alice.

Curious, Jessica manoeuvred through the throng of students only to see Lauren pick up her things and put them back into her bag before she stood up. A pregnancy test caught Jessica's eyes, and she felt a pang of sadness for her best friend.

Once Lauren had picked herself up, she met the glance of Jessica. Relief rushed through her. She knew that Jessica and Tanya wouldn't judge her like her classmates. Before turning to walk toward her best friend, Lauren caught Jasper Whitlock's eye. He was paler than a ghost. Instead of feeling love when she looked at him, she felt nothing but hatred and disgust.


	6. TJL: Chapter Five

**Twilight - The TJL Story**

**Chapter Five**

Tanya handed Jessica and Lauren a spoon each as she sat the tub of ice-cream between the three of them.

"Jacob hates me," she said, shoving a spoonful of the cool, strawberry goodness into her mouth.

"Everyone thinks I'm a slut," Lauren mumbled around a mouthful of ice-cream.

"I think I like Mike," Jessica piped in.

The two blondes twisted their heads violently to gasp at the brunette.

"Mike Newton?" Lauren asked in disbelief.

Tanya, on the other hand, shouted, "Finally!"

Jessica looked at Tanya with a confused expression on her face. "What do you mean, 'Finally'?"

Rolling her eyes, Tanya explained, "That boy has been in love with you for years, Jess."

Jessica's brow furrowed. "No, he hasn't."

"Actually…" Lauren began. "I have noticed the way he keeps trying to get your attention, but you've always been obsessed with Cullen."

Jessica scoffed. "I'm not obsessed."

"Yeah, and I'm not pregnant."

There was a moment of awkward silence before the three girls began giggling.

"Speaking of which," Tanya said. "What are you going to do about it?"

"Well, I'm keeping it," Lauren said, sadly. "I may not be ready to be a mother, but I couldn't carry a baby for nine months only to give it up. And abortion is out of the question!"

Jessica and Tanya nodded their agreement.

"We're here for you, Ren," Tanya said, putting down her spoon and taking one of Lauren hands in her own.

Jessica did the same, adding, "Every step of the way."

Lauren smiled softly, thankful for her amazing friends. "Will you come with me to tell my parents?"

"Of course!" Tanya exclaimed with a bright smile. "Just name the time and place, and we'll be there."

Jessica squeezed Lauren's hand gently in agreement.

The sound of a phone ringing echoes through Lauren's tiny bedroom. She picked up her cell and glanced at the screen.

_Jasper._

"How dare that asshole call you!" Jessica cried. "After everything he's done."

Lauren glared at her cell before rejecting the call. "I can't believe I was so stupid."

Jessica moved the ice-cream and the spoons to Lauren's bedside table and joined her against the head of the bed. Tanya joined her two friends on Lauren's opposite side. Both girl's wrapped their arms around the fragile blonde.

"None of this is your fault," Tanya said. "You fell for his lies, but he's the one who shouldn't have pursued a relationship with you while he still had a girlfriend."

"But I knew that he probably wouldn't ever leave Alice," Lauren sobbed. "He gave her a promise ring on Friday at the dance."

"But you hoped that he would," Jessica said. "Because he told you that he loved you and promised you things that he had no right promising."

Lauren continued to cry while Tanya and Jessica comforted her with soothing words, until all three girls fell asleep, curled up on Lauren bed.

* * *

"So what's the game plan?" Jessica asked Tanya the next day at school.

Operation "Get Black Back" was in motion and Tanya had asked Jessica's help. In return, Tanya was going to help Jessica with her OCD (Obsessive Cullen Disorder).

On top of that, both girls were helping Lauren cope with the nasty rumours and bitchy glares of their classmates. Jessica had come up with the code name 'The Baby Brigade', which she and Tanya had both adopted with pride.

"I was thinking chocolates and flowers..." Tanya began as she pulled the aforementioned objects out of her locker. She hadn't thought much about what she could do to get Jacob to agree to give her another chance. Even Jessica had come up with the operation name – she was good at that sort of thing. "Maybe I should scrap the flowers part."

Stuffing the few daisies she had plucked from her garden that morning back into her locker, Tanya moved over to where Jacob was standing.

"I bought you these," she said quickly. Tanya tended to talk fast when she was nervous.

Jacob glanced at the box of chocolates before him and the hand-made 'Sorry' card that lay on top in the shape of a heart. "What are you doing, Tanya."

"Apologising," she grinned. He hadn't told her to go away, so that was a good sign.

"You don't need to apologise Tanya," Jacob said.

Hope swelled inside Tanya as she smiled up at the boy in front of her.

"It's not like you were my girlfriend or anything."

With that, Tanya's hope diminished. "Time for Plan B."

* * *

Lauren knew her friends meant well, but she was beginning to feel suffocated.

That's why she was glad when Chemistry came around. Tanya had dropped down a class the year before because she couldn't handle the work load on top of all of her extra Math classes, so Lauren had the class all by herself.

The only negative connotation was that she was stuck with Jasper. She was glad that Jasper had refused to be her lab partner, a fact that used to frustrate the heck out of her.

However, that didn't stop him from coming over to her work station on occasion.

"Is it mine?" Jasper whispered from behind Lauren so only she could hear. She kept her back to him and nodded.

"Are you sure?"

Lauren's fists bunched but she kept them secured on her lab bench. "Yes," she spat through gritted teeth. "I'm not the slut your girlfriend keeps telling everyone I am."

"But you told me that you were on the pill," Jasper whispered angrily. Lauren was ruining his life. If word got out that her kid was his, the university scholarship that Alice's dad had secured for him would disappear. "Did you plan this to try and tear me and Alice apart?"

Lauren spun around to face the boy she had once thought she loved. "Fuck you, Jasper. I didn't mean for this to happen."

"Is everything okay back there?" Lauren's chemistry teacher asked.

"Everything's fine, Mr. Banner," Jasper said with a smile. He turned back to Lauren and slipped something in her hand.

Lauren glanced down at what was in her hand. A $50 bill.

"That won't buy much," Lauren said sarcastically. "Maybe a few diapers and a bottle or two."

"Wait," Jasper said wide-eyed. "You're keeping it?"

"Of course I am," Lauren cried. "But don't worry, I don't want anything from you." With that, Lauren shoved the money back into Jasper's hand and ran out of the classroom.

* * *

"Step One: We admit that we were powerless over our addiction – that our lives had been unmanageable," Jessica read off the sheet of paper Tanya has written for her.

"The fact is that most alcoholics, for reasons yet obscure, have lost the power of choice in drink. Our so-called willpower becomes practically non-existent. We are unable, at certain times, to bring into our consciousness with sufficient force the memory of the suffering and humiliation of even a week or a month ago. We are without defence against the first drink. – A.A. Big Book, p. 24 (Substitute your own addiction for drink if your addiction is different than alcohol)"

Jessica chuckled as she noticed that Tanya had crossed out specific words and written in 'Edward' as a substitute.

"Okay," Jessica breathed, looking at herself in the bathroom mirror. "Hi, my name is Jessica and I'm an Edaholic."

Jessica smiled at her reflection and continued to recite the words that Tanya had written on the page. Ten minutes later, she exited the girls bathroom feeling alive and refreshed.

Until Edward Cullen walked passed her...

"Hey, Jess..." she heard a male voice call from behind her, his voice sounding far away.

But she ignored him, opting to follow Edward to the cafeteria instead.


End file.
